The Beetle family was famous for its building of Whaleboats in the mid to late 1800’s. It all started with James Beetle who built over 1,000 whaleboats between 1834 and 1854 in New Bedford, many of which ended up on the Charles W. Morgan. His sons Charles and John followed in their fathers footsteps and built whaleboats at the Beetle Shop on Rodney French Boulevard. It was at this shop that John and his son Carl designed and built the first Beetle Cat in 1921, using the same materials as was used in constructing the Whaleboats (atlantic white cedar and white oak).

Specifications:

Length: 28′ 5-3/4″
Beam: 6′ 5″
Approx. Weight: 1,200 lbs.

Source: Beetle Cat Boat Shop. https://beetlecat.com/28-beetle-whaleboat/